The co-owner of a Central New York distillery called “Last Shot” is getting his shot at TV fame.
Chris Uyehara, the distiller at Last Shot Distillery in Skaneateles, will appear Nov. 24 on the Discovery Channel’s Master Distiller series, a spin-off of its long-running Moonshiners series. Master Distiller is a competition show, with each episode pitting three distillers against each other in a contest to make certain styles of spirit.
The Nov. 24 episode is called “Whiskeys of the World.” The three featured distillers each make a type of whiskey. One contestant makes an American style, another makes a Scotch and Uyehara makes a Japanese-style whiskey.
Uyehara, who was raised in Hawaii, said his entry is a whiskey using four types of malted grain, including malted barley.
“It has a little of the character of malt candy, like Whoppers,” he said. The episode was recorded earlier this year at a former distillery in Tennessee. Discovery Channel rules prevent Uyehara from revealing the outcome of the show until it airs.
The air time is 9 p.m. Nov. 24 (that’s the night before Thanksgiving). It will also be available via streaming at Discovery Plus.
In the meantime, curious drinkers can find Uyehara’s Four Grain Japanese-style whiskey at the distillery tasting room and shop, 4022 Mill Road just outside the village. His initial batch was 280 bottles, and he has about that same amount aging in new oak barrels for the next bottling.
Uyehara opened Last Shot with partner John Menapace and Menapace’s daughter Kate in 2015. It’s in the same building as the Skaneateles Brewery.
Last Shot is a small-batch spirit maker, with products like Bourbon, Gin, Vodka and two clear whiskeys, Moonshine and Lightning. Its Distillers Reserve Skaneateles Whiskey is similar to rye, but is made with a locally grown grain called triticale. It also makes two creamy liqueurs, a Chocolate Creme Brulee made with bourbon and Orange Cream Lightning, made with the Lightning whiskey.
Uyehara is a culinary instructor at Syracuse University’s Falk College, and has worked as a chef and pastry chef at several local restaurants and bakeries, including Patisserie and Rosalie’s Cucina in Skaneateles, and at the Savannah Dhu lodge, where he specialized in cooking wild game. He is also a world-renowned ice carver.
Uyehara initially applied for a spot in a Master Distiller episode featuring gin last year, but had to drop out due to Covid restrictions. He received a call to appear on an episode this year based on that previous application. Thousands of distillers apply for roles on the show each year.
The is the third season for Moonshiners: Master Distiller.
“The best legal and outlaw ‘shiners from across the country are ready to compete,” the show’s web site says. “Each weekly episode features three competitors, three judges, and one winning spirit.”
The original Moonshiners show is in its 11th season. It’s a “docudrama” about the lives and adventures of people who make illegal spirits, mostly in the American South.
A third series is called Moonshiners: Smoke Rig, which features barbecue competitions.
The three Moonshiners series air at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. on Wednesday nights.
Distiller and co-owner Chris Uyehara of Last Shot Distillery in Skaneateles wil compete on the show Master Distiller on the Discovery Channel Nov. 24.
More on craft beverages in CNY:
Drink NY Craft: New delivery business aims to match ‘beer geeks’ with hard to find brews
A new craft brewery opens in Marcellus. It’s the 21st in Onondaga County
CNY’s long-awaited ‘Brewseum’ of beer history finds a home in Pompey
New Central New York brewery is small, out-of-the-way and experimental
Don Cazentre writes about craft beer, wine, spirits and beverages for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.